Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Some pretty bad bills and at least one really bad bill are coming your way this week.  Meanwhile, The ‘Mean Girls’ continue to bury legislation designed to protect state retirees in the House Administration Committee.  The more things change, the more they stay the same…

Don’t see anything controversial on today’s Senate Agenda, and I support SB 202 (Huxtable), which provides that:

For claims for line of duty death benefits for covered persons, which include police officers, firefighters, auxiliary and volunteer ambulance and rescue company members, paramedics, and others, submitted on July 1, 2023, and thereafter, this Act increases the benefits for the beneficiary or beneficiaries from $200,000 to $375,000, payable in annual installments, with the maximum amount paid in any 1 calendar year being $50,000.

When fully implemented, the Fiscal Note is projected at $80K annually.

The House Agenda is more interesting.  I strongly support HS 1/HB 162 (Lynn),  which:

‘authorizes the process of natural organic reduction to be used in this State. Natural organic reduction is the gentle, respectful process that accelerates the decomposition of human remains to soil. This process uses large vessels to hold human remains together with straw, wood chips, or other natural materials for about 30 days. The human remains and organic materials, mixed together with warm air, are periodically turned and the process eventually results in reduction of the human remains to a soil material that can then be provided to the deceased individual’s family. Natural organic reduction is considered a more eco-friendly cremation alternative, forgoing the usage of formaldehyde and the release of carbon dioxide and mercury into the atmosphere. The process also uses 1/8 the energy of cremation.’

In fact, if this becomes law, it’s the way I’d like to go.  Here’s an article on this process.

We also have the mini-Bond bill, where money is moved around from the Bond Bill based on delays in projects and more pressing needs.   However, I thought you should chew on this tidbit from the bill:

(5) authorize(s) the cancellation of any notes and forego all amounts owed under the loan agreement between the Diamond State Port Corporation (DSPC) and the Transportation Trust Fund;

Yes, kids, and just like that, the disastrous deal that was supposed to end state subsidization of the Port of Wilmington is gone–along with money that was owed to the State by the former owner.  Just like that,  the incompetent Secretary of State Jeff Bullock emerges free to screw up even more stuff far from the prying eyes of the public.  BTW, why isn’t there a Fiscal Note to reflect the money the State WON’T be receiving as a result of this?

(Deep cleansing breaths).  House committee highlights and lowlights:

HB 271 (Carson) enables you to shoot game birds on Sundays.  If you’re so inclined.  Can’t believe they didn’t carve out an exemption for religious waterfowl.  Natural Resource & Energy.

HB 265 (Michael Smith)  may, or may not, have been introduced with the best of intentions, but it’s a mess.  The bill:

…requires a commercial entity that knowingly or intentionally provides pornography and other materials defined as harmful to minors to verify the age of individuals accessing the material. Civil liability and a civil penalty are imposed on commercial entities that fail to comply with verification requirements. Additionally, an internet provider or user of an interactive computer service on the internet is not subject to liability. This act is modeled after similar laws in Virginia, Utah, and Louisiana.

First of all, how can you ensure accurate age verification w/o violating peoples’ constitutional right to privacy?  And who defines what ‘harmful to minors’ means (see ‘book bans’ to understand what I’m getting at)?  Finally, does the fact that only Virginia, Utah, and Louisiana have passed this bill not at least give you some pause?  It does me.  Louisiana, especially, the Home Of The Original Diaper Dandy David Vitter.  Fucked-up states yield fucked-up legislators who pass fucked-up bills.  Economic Development.

I hope that Sherry Dorsey Walker is in Dover to bury these next two bills in her Revenue & Finance Committee.  These are both relics of the DuPont/Castle/Carper years:

HB 233 (Ramone) provides that anybody making over $25K per year would pay the exact same percentage in takes as those making over $100K per year.  It’s a blatant sop to Delaware’s wealthiest, and would cost the State about $479 million annually once fully implemented.  If you earn $1 mill in a given year, you would save over $15K in taxes.  There will not be a worse bill introduced this year.  We should be expanding the number of tax brackets to help restore some fairness to the system, not providing more giveaways to the wealthy.

HB 149 (Collins) isn’t any better, albeit less costly to the State.  It purports to prevent ‘bracket creep’ due to inflation, but ignores the fact that as you earn more, you should pay more in taxes.  This one has a price tag of around $38 mill once fully implemented.

Two good bills in House Education today. (Well, four good bills, but we’ve already discussed the two Senate bills when they were in the Senate.)

HB 279 (Heffernan) ‘allows school employees up to 5 days of bereavement leave under the same circumstances as permitted for state employees.’

HB 290 (Morrison) ‘removes a barrier to higher education by allowing a student who has been convicted of a violent felony to qualify for or maintain eligibility for a SEED scholarship if other eligibility criteria are met.’

Time to discuss the meeting that is not happening.  The House Administration Committee canceled this week’s scheduled meeting.  The planned agenda did not include either HB 281 or HB 282, both of which were introduced by Rep. Baumbach on Jan. 4.  They could have been included, and should have been included at one of their preceding meetings.  Meaning, they could have been run, and should have been run prior to the six-week recess for Joint Finance Committee hearings.  Pretty much everybody, including plenty of R’s, were on both bills as sponsors.  Conspicuous by her absence?  Our PAL Val, the current Speaker Of The House.  She’ll make state retirees wait–because she can.  Neither bill requires a Fiscal Note, so the only reason why these bills weren’t run was b/c Longhurst, perhaps in consultation with her choice for Governor, Bethany Hall-Long, didn’t want them run.  I mention this b/c when BHL was asked specific questions about this at our 7th RD Dem. Committee meeting, she refused to commit to protecting state retirees.

There are thankfully no Senate Committee meetings today.  Between this and going over the Campaign Finance reports, I’m all written out.